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Have you thought about swapping out the special K for a more poop-friendly PI?

Yes, I have...though I was not really all that sure that there WAS a more poop-friendly PI. I've heard some gripes from folks on several of them, though I admit that the K has an even nastier reputation for it than some. Thing is, the combo has been working- and working well overall. Part of me wants to ride that train as long is it runs.

I hear you loud & clear, pal.It's been so long now that it just seems normal, and I forget that the rest of the world doesn't spend the better part of the first couple of hours of each day on the crapper.

I started out on Kaletra and combivir and it was positively, without a doubt, the worst regimen I have ever had IN MY LIFE. The runs was only one of the problems I had with it. It's like the pill version of Psycho.

Of course doctors are a stubborn lot and don't like change. It took a lot of talking from me and my brothers to get her to change it. Now I'm on Truvada, Reyataz and Norvir. Life is good (sorta). I'm sitting pretty at 500+ t-cells (36%).

Give it a shot. In the meantime just try to take care of your pretty self.

Special K is world renowned for its poop inducements. I know someone who just made the switch from Kaletra to the Reyataz/Norvir combo.

For the first time in quite some time, she is now able to keep a schedule and eat normally without fear it was all going to come out when least expected.

Trading straight across, pardon the expression, should not cause any resistance problems or alleviate your ability to go back on Kaletra should you ever decide to.

Think about it sweetie. Staying alive is great, but its even better when you actually are enjoying life too.

HUGS,

Mark

Mark,

One of my other concerns is the initial sickness of starting a new medication. To put it straight out there: I went through some serious hell getting adjusted to this combo originally. Took months to get used to it & I was "can't even sit upright" sick for weeks of that. I wondered if I would have to go throught that same kind of adjustment hell from making any switch- and what it might be like also if I have to switch back. Something about your phrasing "trading straight across" sets me at ease a bit.

Mind you, I'm taking all these suggestions quite seriously. I'm not trying to nix any of them. I'm just going ahead and laying all my concerns right on out here. I appreciate the responses, folks. Thanks.

The most common side effect from Atazanavir (Reyetaz) is turning yellow for a couple of weeks. Outside of that it's pretty good. Even when boosted with Norvir. It's potent stuff in terms of viral suppression.

The most common side effect from Atazanavir (Reyetaz) is turning yellow for a couple of weeks. Outside of that it's pretty good. Even when boosted with Norvir. It's potent stuff in terms of viral suppression.

I switched from Crixivan to Sustiva (the drug from hell in my case) then to Reyataz/Norvir. I never experienced any side effects from it.

No nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, etc., nor did I turn yellow.

The young woman I mentioned in my earlier post also reports she did not suffer any side effects from Reyataz/Norvir. It was she who switched from Kaletra.

By switching "straight across," I mean one PI for another. I have not heard of people having many problems with Reyataz/Norvir. I believe our Jan did indeed turn yellow, but I don't know if she suffered any other problems. She had been off meds for quite a while before starting, but she seemed to be doing fine in SF.

I wish I could guarantee you would have no problems, but we both know I can't. But I have not run into anyone who has had any real problems with Reyataz/Norvir as yet.

Hang in there young one. Have a chat with your doc and see what he'/she says.

How much imodium are you taking? Do you take it regularly with each morning and evening dose of Kaletra? I'd suggest trying Pancrecarb if it's on your state ADAP in addition to imodium.

Philly is right about the Pancrecarb. I started having these same issues myself and mentioned it to my doctor. He said that a few years of HIV can make the villi in your small intestines flat which causes your body to not absorb sugars quickly. When sugars sit around your intestines for too long they feed all the bad bacteria that your body tries to wash away with diarrhea.

For me the problem was solved by Pancrecarb AND some Lactaid (dairy sugars are particularly bad). I'd highly recommend checking into something that helps you digest better.

Thanks, Mark. The explanation of "straight across" helped a lot. I'm seriously gonna have this discussion with my doctor on my next visit (which is the first week of November, so only a couple of weeks away).

And that goes to all you folks...thanks for taking the time to talk shit with me.

Dear god(dess) man! Switch. You can always go back to it. I now only poop once a day and it is nice and firm, plus my triglycerides are back at a normal level. You deserve a break and all that immodium cannot be good for you!

I can totally sympathise. Having been on kaletra for about 4 months I'm still getting the shits all the time. The first morning after I took it I threw up and I was immediately concerned that it would give me constant nausea but it never has. It does however turn my crap to liquid all the damn time unless I take immodium. I've been trying to cut back on immodium because it has made me very very bloated and constipated in the past, but it's a tough balancing act. And when your arse feels a bit sore neither a torrent of liquid nor an incredibly solid bit of crap helps the matter. And lets not even get into the anxiety I feel if I want to be passive during sex

It's unfortunate because apart from this my combo has been fine but it's quite a big annoyance. I would look at switching but norvir has to be kept in the fridge and because of where I live I couldn't really do that so....it pretty much looks like I'm stuck with the kaletra because it's the only PI whcih is combined with the norvir. It's a shame no other PIs are like that. I'll look at trying this pancrecarb stuff I guess.

It's not my fault that you people live in sucky states with insufficient ADAP formularies. Have you tried holding a sign up in front of the governor's mansion that says "AIDS TURNS MY INNARDS OUT AND YOU DON'T CARE"

I had nausea bouts after most dosings on Kaletra. Dealt with it as just par for the course and did what I had to do, but then I switched docs and he insisted on a switch and glad I did. I'd definitely consider lookimg into the other PIs. Good luck...

Logged

"Get your medical advice from Doctors or medical professionals who you trust and know your history."

"Beware of the fortune teller doom and gloomers who seek to bring you down and are only looking for company, purpose and validation - not your best physical/mental interests."

"You know you all are saying that this is incurable. When the real thing you should be saying is it's not curable at the present time' because as we know, the great strides we've made in medicine." - Elizabeth Edwards

Even over the counter medications that contain codeine help with the Kaletra squirts. I can't stomach imodium so just pop painkillers with codeine for a day or so before I know that I need to go out and be a good clean bottom Bananas and cheese work for me too.

I can totally empathize with your bowel issues. I've been taking Kaletra myself for a year now and, while it's very effective, I encounter the same side effect. Changes in my diet (more rice and bananas, less fat and milk) caused some improvement but it's still a slippery and sometimes unpredictable business.

I tried Pancrecarb but it didn't help, in fact I had the impression it worsened the condition. What works better is a stuff called Cholestobran, an oat bran preparation which can be taken with the pills. It contains lots of soluble fibers and pectines which absorb excess water and make a more solid poop. It's not the perfect solution, but makes it somewhat manageable. Cholestobran is cheap but I'm not sure if you can buy it in the US. There's probably something equivalent on your shelves.

However, I've been thinking about switching to another PI as well but I'm a bit afraid of going yellow from Reyataz. Are there any experiences with boostered Prezista or Lexiva as far as diarrheas and blood lipid levels are concerned?

I've been taking boosted fosamprenavir (Lexiva, or Telzir as it's called over here) since June 2005. I have only very slight issues with "the trots;" if it happens, it's usually about an hour to 90 minutes or so after taking the meds, so it's predictable and therefore much easier to control. I have loperamide (imodium) on standby but rarely need to use it. My lipids are also excellent. I should point out I take it once daily, boosted with 200mg of ritonavir (Norvir) though I'm going to discuss dropping this to 100mg with my consultant.

I've tried Reyataz (atazanavir) and found no issues with diarrhea, sickness or yellowness; I only came off it because of very slight resistance caused by a polymorphism.

Of course what's sauce for the goose isn't necessarily sauce for the gander, so I guess you'd have to suck it and see.

Then it's agreed. Youth Pastor Tim will change his combo as of tomorrow.

MtD

as if it would move that fast. i wonder about the differences in our health systems sometimes. i know doxie will get this...but if i intend to change, i will have to first discuss it with my doc during my regularly scheduled appointment in two weeks. if he is in line with it, i will then have to have an appointment to speak with the "meds nurse" about the new drug. never mind that i already know more from this thread than she is going to tell me about it. it's part of the procedure and nothing will go until i plant my ass in her office. once i do that, the change can go as soon as i get back from her and then get the official scrip from him...most likely on my NEXT doctor visit (say, three months from now). this sort of thing only gets speeded up if you are having a severe allergic type reaction to your meds and if your t cells are in free fall.

i'm gonna address this with my doc, but i expect to be planted on the potty for some days to come. though just not right now. the immodium has kicked in, so i'm now in cork phase.

Deal with it Timmy boy. We all have to do this at least two or three times a day. I have come to the decison to just bring the tv into my bathroom for all the times I have to run to the bathroom. They should supply anyone that is living with HIV a supply of toliet paper.

Deal with it Timmy boy. We all have to do this at least two or three times a day. I have come to the decison to just bring the tv into my bathroom for all the times I have to run to the bathroom. They should supply anyone that is living with HIV a supply of toliet paper.

yeah, i found myself laughing at Sheryl Crowe yesterday quite a bit. i think by her estimation, i used about 2 year's worth of toilet paper.

and like i said above...that's why i'm thankful for my laptop. i can poo and tenderly reach out to all of you at the same time.

We (hubby and I) have no problems with the runs. I guess we're just lucky, so far. I sure hope Atripla keeps working for us. However, that's not to say I don't appreciate the portability of a notebook pc anyway!

I'm assuming it's just the Kaletra causing your problems. Is this common with all PI's? Years ago, I'd take Lomotil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomotil. It's by prescription only, and I'm not sure if it's available to you, but if so, it works like a champ. I had to be careful and make sure I really had the runs prior to taking it, else I'd be stopped up for days. It sounds like it might be the ticket for you.

I've been taking Kaletra for a year and 9 months. It does run your belly but over time it has gotten much better. I do notice, when I really start having problems, I realize I haven't been eating as much yogurt. I truly believe making sure your acidophilus population in your gut is high helps. I eat more yogurt or drink kefir and my bowels return to normal. Try it.

Sweet Tim, if Pancrecarb is on the list of approved meds in Georgia, do give it a try. It's worth it. After a month of Pancrecarb dosing, I now can handle a missed dosage with no problems. I just notice this today. I had missed my dosages yesterday and had no problems this morning. Of course, I did take my morning dose. Sound too good to be true, doesn't it?But the shit works.

I have been reading this thread and wish I could help you! I remember taking the PIs (Fortovase 18 pills per day) for 6 years. I eventually complained to my doc about trips to the potty. I started taking 1 Imodium every morning and suddenly I could hear angels singing! It was an overnight success! LOL I'm so sorry that Imodium hasn't done the trick for you in this case. I guess the "K" really is more "special" than I know!

Have you been buying generic (i.e. Target or Walmart brand) anti-diarrheals? The price is much cheaper and it works great. I just discovered the other day that Walmart actually has a bottle of their brand, 48 pills, NO bubble foil pack thingies to tear open. I hate those things!

As for the long wait to see the meds nurse and eventually get your new script, months down the road, have you been dehydrated, run down, even losing weight? Tell them this on the phone and ask to be seen SOON! Squeaky wheel gets the grease! I finally got through to my doc's office today, wanting to be seen for a cough. This is my primary, a general practitioner. I told the receptionist right off the bat that I was on insulin as well as HIV+, and wouldn't you know it? They are seeing me today at 3pm!

If the squirts are causing such trouble and then some (dehydration, fatigue, weight loss) then there's no reason why you can't get your ass (no pun intended) in to see the doc sooner! I am like you, I don't want to change a regimen if my counts are good, but this is compromising your lifestyle a bit too much, even after you've tried to handle things with Imodium. Its just not working for you like you want it to. I also was relieved to see that moving "straight across" in the same med category for a switch wouldn't be so detrimental, if I read that correctly.

Lord knows I want you to be able to hear angels sing, that first morning when you wake up and have success on the shitter! I really hope this all works out soon for you! Maybe pick up the phone and call your doc? It can't hurt, and its better than waiting.